Mary Ann Shadd: Publisher, Editor, Teacher, Lawyer, Suffragette

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
The Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Mary Ann Shadd was a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to
improving the social and political lives of black people. She was
instrumental in assisting escaped slaves in Canada. After the
emancipation proclamation in 1863, she turned her considerable energies
to obtaining the vote for women. Her list of “firsts” is impressive:
the first black woman editor of a North American newspaper; the first
woman to be admitted to Howard University Law School; and the first
black woman to vote in a U.S. federal election.

This well-organized biography is filled with useful features.
Unfortunately, it is written in a somewhat dry, textbook-like style.
Although the subject’s activities and convictions are well covered,
the reader comes away with little sense of Mary Ann Shadd the person.
The book would definitely be useful, however, for class assignments
about the emancipation of blacks and women in North America.
Recommended.